LAHORE, June 6: The Traffic Engineering and Planning Agency managing director, Brig Naveed Mushtaq (retired), has said the agency is planning to introduce metered parking at important commercial centres of the provincial metropolis.

Speaking at a meeting of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry here on Wednesday, he said the agency was paying special attention to widening and remodelling of roads for ensuring smooth flow of traffic because an average 100,000 vehicles were being added to the existing 1.5 million every year.

He said the problem of encroachments also required to be tackled on a priority to make the entire road space available for the movement of traffic.

Chamber president Shahid Hassan Sheikh said formulation of an integrated traffic master plan was required for solving the growing traffic problems of Lahore. Construction of roads on both sides of Mianmir drain from GTS Bus Depot on Ferozepur Road to Babu Sabu intersection on Bund Road could provide an alternative link to Multan Road. The remodelling of this road was necessary owing to the introduction of one-way traffic on Bahawalpur Road.

He said it was a matter of concern that some important projects, which were included in the Annual Development Programme for 2005-06, had not taken off. These included projects for resolving traffic problems at Azadi Chowk, Kalima Chowk and Qartaba Chowk, re-engineering of the Shahrah-i-Quaid-i-Azam from Avari Hotel to PMG Office, and improvement and renovation of the existing dual carriageway from Chauburji Chowk to Thokar Niaz Beg.

He appreciated the construction of D-Point Parking Plaza at Shahalam market to ease out the traffic congestion. Except for a few places like the D-point at Shahalam market, The Mall, Egerton Road, Liberty Market, Lower Mall, Outfall Road and Nila Gumbad, there are no parking places in Lahore.

The other high concentration areas like M M Alam Road in Gulberg, Ichhra along Ferozepur Road, Hall Road, McLeod Road along the Mall, Davis Road and Circular Road around the walled city were some of the pressure areas where such structures needed to be put up on a priority basis.